5 Different Ways to See Australia

Australia is a country that features high on most people’s places to visit list. If you’re planning on visiting, there are a few ways to experience the land of Oz.

BackpackBackpacking has in many respects, become the traditional and quintessential way to see Australia. Every years millions of backpackers of all ages and backgrounds arrive in Australia to travel across the country’s major cities, staying in hostels, sightseeing and occasionally, parting as well.

Australia is well set up for backpackers. Hostels and cheap accommodation are plentiful, and hospitality exchange websites such as couchsurfing.org usually have plenty of members. After all, Australians tend to do a lot of travelling themselves, so it only makes sense that they would be very well set up to receive travellers as well.

HousesitMany home and pet owners need someone to live in and mind their property while they’re away. Certain chores such as plant watering, dog walking and cat feeding need to get done and so many people turn to house and pet sitters to fill in for them while they’re away.

Traditionally pet and house sitters came from specialist agencies, but these days an increasing number of pet sitters can be found online, thanks to the growth of home owner and sitter social networking sites.

Anyone can sign up as a sitter and in return for a few simple chores, you can secure yourself free accommodation throughout Australia, which can then be put back into the all-important travel budget. For more information see TrustedHousesitters.com.

Work Your Way AroundFor many people travelling, Australia is a place to work. This is due to a number of factors; the main ones being that Australia tends to have a number of jobs available, especially seasonal work such as fruit picking. Wages also tend to be quite reasonable and flexible visa laws mean it’s possible to stop for a couple of months and recoup the savings before going on to explore Asia, New Zealand or wherever else is on your list.

Working in Australia gives you a chance to meet people and to integrate yourself, rather than just stopping off. Popular jobs include fruit picking, hospitality work such as bar work, mining and working on a cattle ranch.

VolunteerVolunteer travel has seen dramatic growth over the past few years, but it rarely takes place in Australia. When people think of volunteering they tend to think of building wells in Africa or helping out in elephant sanctuaries in Thailand. Since Australia is a reasonably well-off country it doesn’t tend to get a lot of volunteers.

But there are plenty of opportunities to give something back in the land down under, from working with the homeless, to environmental conservation to working as part of an emergency response team. The opportunities are endless and no doubt you’ll be welcomed with open arms when you show up.

RoadtripIf you want to see a lot of Australia, or any country for that matter, the best way to get around is on a roadtrip. It’s a chance to see a few towns and cities and a bit of everything else that lies in between. In Australia a number of car rental companies are also willing to cover your road trip costs, as they often need a car driven from one side of the country to another. You’ll have to plan your trip around their schedule but it’s a great way to get your fuel, car and often accommodation costs covered as well.